Everybody relax, Sony claims that only 1 percent of PS4s are defective

Despite a growing chorus of people reporting issues, the failure rate of the new PlayStation 4 is less than 1 percent, according to a statement Sony sent to IGN.

Following a hardware launch in North America that saw over 1 million units sold in just 24 hours, a vocal minority began to report problems with their systems, inevitably leading to replacements for many owners. Sony was quick to downplay the issue, claiming that a small percentage of any newly released hardware is likely to fail, and initially offered up the number 0.4 percent as an estimate of the failure rate.

That number always sound a little low, but Sony repeatedly claimed that the percentage of defective units was well within the accepted rate for any new hardware. With a failure rate of 1 percent, that means up to 10,000 people received units that were either defective or damaged en route to the consumer. That number sounds painfully high, but consider that it is out of 1 million purchasers.

The press release sent to IGN reads:

“There have been several issues reported, which leads us to believe there isn’t a singular problem that could impact a broader percentage of PS4 units. We also understand that some units were reportedly damaged during shipping. The number of affected PS4 systems is less than 1%, which represents a very small percentage of total units shipped to date and is within the expected range for a new product introduction. We understand the frustration of consumers that have had a problem and are working with them and our retail partners to help troubleshoot issues and ensure affected units are exchanged.”

As noted in the statement, there isn’t one specific issue plaguing the PS4, but rather a few that keep popping up. These include the dreaded “Blue Line of Death,” signifying an issue during boot up, and the “Red Line of Death,” which represents overheating. These lights can mean other things though, so check Sony’s manual before you conclude your system is faulty. You can also check our guide on how to fix some of the minor problems.

If the problem is severe enough that it needs professional help, Sony also confirmed that it is expediting the return process to get a new or repaired PS4 to affected owners as quickly as possible.

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